I'm surprised they've stayed so long. The WTCC has become a way for low prestige brands like Seat, Chevrolet and Lada to boost their image. BMW can only lose in this situation - if they beat the opposition this doesn't impress anyone and if they lose then they look particularly bad.
2010 World Touring Car Championship
- Thread starter Bram Hengeveld
- Start date
Lada decided to waste their entire budget to be a sub-sponsor on the Renault F1 car. When BMW leaves the KSO needs to get another premium brand into the series otherwise its doomed 
Who should be in? Lexus? Subaru? Honda? Ford?
Who should be in? Lexus? Subaru? Honda? Ford?
But with what car? Does Nissan have a competative hothatch with a 1.6 liter engine?
James Johnson
The Weatherman
Why would they even think about cutting the GT program to keep WTCC and go into DTM? The sportscar program is by far the most useful for them since there are alot more prestigious carmakers involved in the sportscar path and it would be worth more in reputaion and value to progess the sportscar program to a point where you can win and beat the Corvettes and the Ferraris.
^That's the answer^
That's actually a very good point. BMW are known for desiring competition against other premium brands, and they don't really get that in the WTCC...
Brian Clancy
Premium
Rhys Gardiner;579824 said:
Yep, thats about right I think, far more 'value' for the money spent!
I think its an understandable move given their renewed commitment to GT racing. The marques that are found there are much more fitting with BMWs brand image imo. Lets be honest, Seat, Chevrolet, and the likes are not even in the same league as BMW in the domestic car markets of Europe. They have completely different target markets. They know they will have customer teams anyway and that should be enough.
As for others coming in I wouldn't mind seeing VW enter with a VW branded car. I know the size and diversity of the companies they own means they are already involved in a backhanded kind of way but they would definitely be a manufacturer who I think could bring a competitive 1.6l hot hatch into the series and expect to get results. Its their core business and would probably fit their brand better than it does for BMW.
As for others coming in I wouldn't mind seeing VW enter with a VW branded car. I know the size and diversity of the companies they own means they are already involved in a backhanded kind of way but they would definitely be a manufacturer who I think could bring a competitive 1.6l hot hatch into the series and expect to get results. Its their core business and would probably fit their brand better than it does for BMW.
Isn't Seat part of VW?
Ben Buitendijk;580064 said:
Yes they are.
but Golfs and Scirrocco's a way cooler cars
In the last few days David García had the chance of interviewing Felix Porteiro, the magnificent and accessible spanish driver. He answered David's questions very kindly, and showed us a lesson about humility and good manners.
DG: My first mandatory question is: What has Felix Porteiro done in 2010? Many motorsposrts enthusists are wondering about that.
FP: Unfortunately the economic situation of the country, sponsors and car manufacturers (in my case Seat and BMW) has reduced or completely decimated their racing budget and that has meant that there are no interesting options for this season.
Many other drivers have been in the same situation as me or even have been forced to put money from their own pockets into teams, where before they got paid for their work. They have done it with the hope next year the situation improves and after being in the races during this season, getting a seat will be easier next season. As I really don´t know if the economic situation will improve in one, two or even three years, and I am only 26 years old and the current world champion is 47, I have preferred to wait for the situation to improve and start working in 2011. There are some different interesting projects that I hope can be done, so I keep on training with go karts and formula cars in order of being ready when one of the projects becomes a fruition.
On the other hand and in order to help my family I am more involved in the family business now, luckily the business relates to the racing world aswell. It is a company dedicated to drivers and motorsport fans training with different classed cars in test days.
We have 10 different classes of formula cars, from the less powerfull class to a GP2, going through classes such as F3, etc.
DG: After 3 years competing in the WTCC championship with Team Italy-Spain and scoring some great results including 2 victories, 8 podiums and 1 pole position, and later competing as well in the privateer teams championship with Proteam, winning 7 times, scoring 9 podiums and being second at your class final standings, Why you are not in the championship anymore?
FP: Economic reasons again! I hope to find the needed support for the 2011 season.
DG: We know about how hard fought the touring car class is with constant contact between the cars, How is the driving at that class?
FP: It is a very matched class since the drivers have many years experience in the same category and the car is easy to drive, so 1 or 2 tenths of a second are the difference between winning the championship or being out of the points.
DG: What are the differences between a Forumla car and a Touring car? Wich aspect was the hardest one for you to adapt to?
FP: The driving is more complicated in the formula cars, everything happens faster and reaching a good level in a touring car coming from a formula car is relatively easy. The hardest part is reaching the 100% needed to be in front, as the setup work is pretty different.
However the most complicated part is the face to face fight, because you can train and prepare for being fast and setup the car if you have a good team, you can reach a race with all your duties done in that aspect, but the face to face fight can´t be trained for between races and you need many races to keep it under control.
DG: Apart of the limits the regulations set, is there any code of conduct established between the drivers? Or does anything go?
FP: There is the knowledge of each driver about how the others are and what pending stuff they have bewteen them. There is a list of pending issues every driver has with the others. I know the case, as an example, of a driver getting payback another one after a year, even if they coincided on track several times during the seasson, and it is because it is not the same sending a driver to the runoff when he is at P3 than when he is at P10.
DG: What good or best moment would you tell us about your time at the WTCC?
FP: Having Zanardi as team mate was one of the best things could happen to me, and with him I had a lot of good moments.
DG: What has been the most complicated situation you had to face ?
FP: A confrontation with my team boss, Roberto Ravaglia, as in theory when having a discussion with your boss, you take the role of loser, so if at the end you get the reason or you don´t, it doesn´t matter anymore. The only thing that counts is that you become a conflictive driver, which a team boss dislikes the most. So I learned that leason.
DG: At the end of 2006 you made the decision wether to stay in GP2 or switch to the touring cars with BMW. Would you change that decision now, if that was possible?
FP: No, it was the best decision at the time. Reaching F1 after Alonso was a complicated task as the sponsors would never support a driver with an uncertain future, so I decided moving to the touring cars where there is not only WTCC, but there is also DTM and many more would be wise, so I don't regret it really.
DG: About your days in the WTCC, and as you said before, you coincided with a driver known because of his overcoming desire and great will like Alex Zanardi. What opinion do you have about him?
FP: The best team mate I ever had, not only a great driver but also a superb person.
DG: How was your relation with the other spaniards at the WTCC, Jordi Gene and Sergio Hernandez?
FP: I always had a good relationship with Jordi. With Sergio… I prefer not to talk about it.
DG: Is there a strong team ethos in motrosports? Or is it always one versus one?
FP: The team concept is there with everybody who works with your car, the rest is one versus one, specially with your team mate as he is the one you really want to beat because he is the only one with the same equipment than you.
DG: Going back to the origins, in your case how and why did you start in the motorsports?
FP: My uncle Roberto Merhi gave me a kart when I was seven years old, since then I always followed my brother Santi at his training sessions. I really didn´t enjoy it much and I prefered football back then, until I made my first podium being eight years old and I really enjoyed that sensation and from then onwards I have been enjoying the motorsport more and more as I was knowing more and understanding it better. Now I feel really happy at having the luck of being racing for many years.
DG: What tips would you give to a kid who wants to start at this sport?
FP: Start from the karting step by step, enjoying every day without taking too much time caring of the future, only about the present.
DG: What do you like and what don´t you like about the world that surrounds motorsports?
FP: I like the overwhelming perfectionism from all the team members with the intention of making a perfect race or season, even if you never manage to, things can always can be improved. I don't like the fact, unlike in other sports, that motorsport relies so heavily on money and the economy to be successful.
DG: Taking a look at your history, it looks very obvious that karting and formula cars account for great amount of time in your life as driver. What is your favourite class, karting, touring cars or open wheelers?
FP: Karting. It is clearly the class with more excitement because of the overtakes, equipment equality and the equal chances of all the drivers, as they will more or less have similar budgets.
DG: What class would you like to test just for fun?
FP: I think I had the chance of test in all the important classes.
DG: When and with what car have you reached the highest speed?
FP: 324 km/h with a GP2 at Monza
DG: What are the keys to become a competitive driver?
FP: Years of work, surrounding yourself with the right people, getting the needed budget for it and of course having the right physical attributes such as coordination, relfexes, control and many others. It is a very complicated sport and this is the reason that you need many many things to reach the 100%.
DG: What percentage does the driver bring and what percentage does the car bring to the overall package?
FP: It depends on the class. In karting the driver will bring more than the kart. In Formula classes as there is much more power the car is more important as will be development for the car. The balance betweeen car and driver continues moving towards the car all the way up, until reaching F1 where car is 70% and driver is 30%. WTCC is 60% car and 40% driver.
In my opinion in a world championship as an example, it is the car who place you somewhere in the grid, and then it is the driver who makes the diference with his teammate. As an example, being on a Red Bull this year at F1 grants you a top 5, and the driver is the one winning or ending the race at P6… It can be a very long discussion and these are only general terms.
DG: Facing the future and taking a look at your past and standings you will have a lot of open doors. Where could we follow you in the near future?
FP: I hope in the WTCC in 2011 with the new engines regulation, otherwise I would like DTM.
DG: As other Spanish drivers like Oriol Servia first or Carmen Jordá recently. Did you have any offers to cross overseas and race at the USA?
FP: It is a very desirable place to race, I would not discount it.
DG: It is well known that many drivers train using simulators, and there exists big online comunities, organised in a very profesional way organising leagues with broadcasted races, etc. Do you know about sim racing and all the stuff moving around it? If you know it, tell us a bit about how and why.
FP: I know very little. A friend of me show me some things some days ago, but I really would like to get closer to this world and learn a bit more.
DG: What do you think could never be simulated?
FP: The fear of breaking the car and not having money enough to repair it and stop racing because of it, or getting an injury.
DG: Some words for the friends of RaceDepartment.com
FP: I hope to learn more about sim-racing and meet with you to know that part of the racing world that I consider very interesting.
And in order to finish the interview some fast questions and answers:
A MOVIE: Avatar
A SONG: Any song from Akon
A MEAL: Pasta
SOMETHING YOU ALWAYS TAKE WITH YOU: Competivity
AN IDOL: Alex Zanardi
A CAR: Aston Martin
A CIRCUIT: Macao
A CORNER: Mandarin (Macao)
A TRIP: Maldivas Islands
A DREAM: Become World Champion
A SEASON: Summer
3 THINGS YOU WOULD TAKE TO A DESERT ISLAND: A telephone with money, a boat with gasoline for some days and food (There are no circuits on a desert Island).
BLONDE OR BRUNETTE: Brunette (My girlfriend is brunnete and will read the interview!)
From here, I really want to THANKS Felix for the kind attention and answers. As he always seemed to me, he is the kind of guys with his feet on the ground, the kind of guy that always tells what he thinks despite it is right or wrong. The kind of guy that got succes. We want you to know we are really gratefull, and we really would like your dream come true.
Best wishes from your RaceDpartment.com friends.
FP: Unfortunately the economic situation of the country, sponsors and car manufacturers (in my case Seat and BMW) has reduced or completely decimated their racing budget and that has meant that there are no interesting options for this season.
Many other drivers have been in the same situation as me or even have been forced to put money from their own pockets into teams, where before they got paid for their work. They have done it with the hope next year the situation improves and after being in the races during this season, getting a seat will be easier next season. As I really don´t know if the economic situation will improve in one, two or even three years, and I am only 26 years old and the current world champion is 47, I have preferred to wait for the situation to improve and start working in 2011. There are some different interesting projects that I hope can be done, so I keep on training with go karts and formula cars in order of being ready when one of the projects becomes a fruition.
On the other hand and in order to help my family I am more involved in the family business now, luckily the business relates to the racing world aswell. It is a company dedicated to drivers and motorsport fans training with different classed cars in test days.
We have 10 different classes of formula cars, from the less powerfull class to a GP2, going through classes such as F3, etc.
DG: After 3 years competing in the WTCC championship with Team Italy-Spain and scoring some great results including 2 victories, 8 podiums and 1 pole position, and later competing as well in the privateer teams championship with Proteam, winning 7 times, scoring 9 podiums and being second at your class final standings, Why you are not in the championship anymore?
FP: Economic reasons again! I hope to find the needed support for the 2011 season.
DG: We know about how hard fought the touring car class is with constant contact between the cars, How is the driving at that class?
FP: It is a very matched class since the drivers have many years experience in the same category and the car is easy to drive, so 1 or 2 tenths of a second are the difference between winning the championship or being out of the points.
DG: What are the differences between a Forumla car and a Touring car? Wich aspect was the hardest one for you to adapt to?
FP: The driving is more complicated in the formula cars, everything happens faster and reaching a good level in a touring car coming from a formula car is relatively easy. The hardest part is reaching the 100% needed to be in front, as the setup work is pretty different.
However the most complicated part is the face to face fight, because you can train and prepare for being fast and setup the car if you have a good team, you can reach a race with all your duties done in that aspect, but the face to face fight can´t be trained for between races and you need many races to keep it under control.
DG: Apart of the limits the regulations set, is there any code of conduct established between the drivers? Or does anything go?
FP: There is the knowledge of each driver about how the others are and what pending stuff they have bewteen them. There is a list of pending issues every driver has with the others. I know the case, as an example, of a driver getting payback another one after a year, even if they coincided on track several times during the seasson, and it is because it is not the same sending a driver to the runoff when he is at P3 than when he is at P10.
DG: What good or best moment would you tell us about your time at the WTCC?
FP: Having Zanardi as team mate was one of the best things could happen to me, and with him I had a lot of good moments.
DG: What has been the most complicated situation you had to face ?
FP: A confrontation with my team boss, Roberto Ravaglia, as in theory when having a discussion with your boss, you take the role of loser, so if at the end you get the reason or you don´t, it doesn´t matter anymore. The only thing that counts is that you become a conflictive driver, which a team boss dislikes the most. So I learned that leason.
DG: At the end of 2006 you made the decision wether to stay in GP2 or switch to the touring cars with BMW. Would you change that decision now, if that was possible?
FP: No, it was the best decision at the time. Reaching F1 after Alonso was a complicated task as the sponsors would never support a driver with an uncertain future, so I decided moving to the touring cars where there is not only WTCC, but there is also DTM and many more would be wise, so I don't regret it really.
DG: About your days in the WTCC, and as you said before, you coincided with a driver known because of his overcoming desire and great will like Alex Zanardi. What opinion do you have about him?
FP: The best team mate I ever had, not only a great driver but also a superb person.
DG: How was your relation with the other spaniards at the WTCC, Jordi Gene and Sergio Hernandez?
FP: I always had a good relationship with Jordi. With Sergio… I prefer not to talk about it.
DG: Is there a strong team ethos in motrosports? Or is it always one versus one?
FP: The team concept is there with everybody who works with your car, the rest is one versus one, specially with your team mate as he is the one you really want to beat because he is the only one with the same equipment than you.
DG: Going back to the origins, in your case how and why did you start in the motorsports?
FP: My uncle Roberto Merhi gave me a kart when I was seven years old, since then I always followed my brother Santi at his training sessions. I really didn´t enjoy it much and I prefered football back then, until I made my first podium being eight years old and I really enjoyed that sensation and from then onwards I have been enjoying the motorsport more and more as I was knowing more and understanding it better. Now I feel really happy at having the luck of being racing for many years.
DG: What tips would you give to a kid who wants to start at this sport?
FP: Start from the karting step by step, enjoying every day without taking too much time caring of the future, only about the present.
DG: What do you like and what don´t you like about the world that surrounds motorsports?
FP: I like the overwhelming perfectionism from all the team members with the intention of making a perfect race or season, even if you never manage to, things can always can be improved. I don't like the fact, unlike in other sports, that motorsport relies so heavily on money and the economy to be successful.
DG: Taking a look at your history, it looks very obvious that karting and formula cars account for great amount of time in your life as driver. What is your favourite class, karting, touring cars or open wheelers?
FP: Karting. It is clearly the class with more excitement because of the overtakes, equipment equality and the equal chances of all the drivers, as they will more or less have similar budgets.
DG: What class would you like to test just for fun?
FP: I think I had the chance of test in all the important classes.
DG: When and with what car have you reached the highest speed?
FP: 324 km/h with a GP2 at Monza
DG: What are the keys to become a competitive driver?
FP: Years of work, surrounding yourself with the right people, getting the needed budget for it and of course having the right physical attributes such as coordination, relfexes, control and many others. It is a very complicated sport and this is the reason that you need many many things to reach the 100%.
DG: What percentage does the driver bring and what percentage does the car bring to the overall package?
FP: It depends on the class. In karting the driver will bring more than the kart. In Formula classes as there is much more power the car is more important as will be development for the car. The balance betweeen car and driver continues moving towards the car all the way up, until reaching F1 where car is 70% and driver is 30%. WTCC is 60% car and 40% driver.
In my opinion in a world championship as an example, it is the car who place you somewhere in the grid, and then it is the driver who makes the diference with his teammate. As an example, being on a Red Bull this year at F1 grants you a top 5, and the driver is the one winning or ending the race at P6… It can be a very long discussion and these are only general terms.
DG: Facing the future and taking a look at your past and standings you will have a lot of open doors. Where could we follow you in the near future?
FP: I hope in the WTCC in 2011 with the new engines regulation, otherwise I would like DTM.
DG: As other Spanish drivers like Oriol Servia first or Carmen Jordá recently. Did you have any offers to cross overseas and race at the USA?
FP: It is a very desirable place to race, I would not discount it.
DG: It is well known that many drivers train using simulators, and there exists big online comunities, organised in a very profesional way organising leagues with broadcasted races, etc. Do you know about sim racing and all the stuff moving around it? If you know it, tell us a bit about how and why.
FP: I know very little. A friend of me show me some things some days ago, but I really would like to get closer to this world and learn a bit more.
DG: What do you think could never be simulated?
FP: The fear of breaking the car and not having money enough to repair it and stop racing because of it, or getting an injury.
DG: Some words for the friends of RaceDepartment.com
FP: I hope to learn more about sim-racing and meet with you to know that part of the racing world that I consider very interesting.
And in order to finish the interview some fast questions and answers:
A MOVIE: Avatar
A SONG: Any song from Akon
A MEAL: Pasta
SOMETHING YOU ALWAYS TAKE WITH YOU: Competivity
AN IDOL: Alex Zanardi
A CAR: Aston Martin
A CIRCUIT: Macao
A CORNER: Mandarin (Macao)
A TRIP: Maldivas Islands
A DREAM: Become World Champion
A SEASON: Summer
3 THINGS YOU WOULD TAKE TO A DESERT ISLAND: A telephone with money, a boat with gasoline for some days and food (There are no circuits on a desert Island).
BLONDE OR BRUNETTE: Brunette (My girlfriend is brunnete and will read the interview!)
From here, I really want to THANKS Felix for the kind attention and answers. As he always seemed to me, he is the kind of guys with his feet on the ground, the kind of guy that always tells what he thinks despite it is right or wrong. The kind of guy that got succes. We want you to know we are really gratefull, and we really would like your dream come true.
Best wishes from your RaceDpartment.com friends.
go go...10-x ..realy nice
great felow
great felow
very good interview gl in the future Felix!
gl in the future Felix!
Excellent interview. Well done David and to Felix for being such a gr8 guy in the first place :good:.
Ross Balfour
#99 | Roaring Pipes Maniacs
Fantastic interview David, and I think Felix can add me to his fanlist, really down to earth guy, I will be cheering him on the next time I see him on track :thumb:
Never heard of him before, don't follow that many motorsports, but he seems like a really nice guy. Interesting read, thanks.
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